Skylight Foundation Sponsors Building Hope in the City "New Americans Kit"

Friday, September 23, 2016

Skylight Foundation is delighted to announce funding for Building Hope in the City’s (BHITC) “New Americans Kit”. The kit will be distributed by BHITC to 60 refugees who enrol this year in the Citizenship Test Preparation course to become U.S. Citizens. The kit will consist of a canvas bag including a complimentary copy of the course’s man text book, flash cards that have been developed by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIC), notebooks and pens. The sponsorship will also assist BHITC with stipends for course instructors.

Brian Upton, Executive Director of BHITC, said, “A huge thank you to Skylight Foundation for their generous support of our efforts to assist refugees in becoming new American citizens. 60 refugees at The Hope Center for Refugees and Immigrants (our satellite hub in West Park) will greatly benefit from these materials thanks to their donation. In every way they can, the good folks at Skylight are making the American Dream come true for more people.”

“It’s a privilege for Skylight Foundation to be able to help dozens of men and women become American citizens. This will greatly help their employment opportunities and allow them to be more self-sufficient. Programs, like this one, really help to strengthen community integration over time,” said Steve Thompson, President, Skylight Foundation.

Gaining citizenship is a five-year process following a refugee’s arrival in our country that includes learning culture, language, systems and customs of being an American and a Clevelander. To help them prepare for that exam, BHITC staff and volunteers at the Hope Center for Refugees in West Park offer four Citizenship Test Preparation Classes per week (in addition to multiple ESL sessions). Classes are 2.5 hours in length, offered in a 12-week course format. BHITC repeats the course four times a year.